County board chairman blasts concealed-carry ordinance

FREEPORT — For Stephenson County residents interested in owning and carrying a musket, Gatling gun or machine gun, you may be in luck. A recent 10-9 vote by the County Board has approved an amendment to the county’s concealed-carry ordinance that would allow firearms such as these to be carried by members of the public.

INSIDE: How they voted

By Nick Crow

Journal Standard

By Nick Crow

Posted Aug. 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 10, 2013 at 9:00 AM

By Nick Crow

Posted Aug. 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 10, 2013 at 9:00 AM

BELOW: How they voted

FREEPORT — For Stephenson County residents interested in owning and carrying a musket, Gatling gun or machine gun, you may be in luck. A recent 10-9 vote by the County Board has approved an amendment to the county’s concealed-carry ordinance that would allow firearms such as these to be carried by members of the public.

Not-so-fast, says Stephenson County Sheriff David Snyders. He said the ordinance is invalid and deputies would be forced to arrest anyone carrying a weapon of any kind in advance of Illinois’ concealed-carry legislation.

“The state Legislature passed concealed carry,” Snyders said. “As part of that, the state police have 180 days to enact policy for their plan. We, as law enforcement, do support concealed carry. But the county can not supercede state statute.”

County Board Chairman Bill Hadley says that the ordinance is improper and that District L board member David Martindale introduced the ordinance on his own without approval from Stephenson County State’s Attorney John Vogt.

“Martindale introduced and drafted the ordinance himself,” Hadley said. “I told him it needed to be reviewed to be put into proper legal form so that the county doesn’t have liability, but he did it on his own and that wasn’t proper procedure.”

Martindale said “liberals” on the County Board didn’t get their way, so it seems like they are attempting to keep bringing the issue back until they get the result they want.

“Is it ethical to keep bringing things up until you get the vote you want?” Martindale said.

He said both Vogt and Snyders now have county law that they should have to follow.

If Snyders were to arrest someone, Martindale said, “He would be, at the present day, upholding an unconstitutional law and ignoring his oath to the Constitution of the United States.”

District C board member Edward Mulligan originally voted for the measure introduced by Martindale but said he only did so because he thought it was the “Constitutional Carry of Arms” ordinance that was passed in November 2012. The referendum was advisory, meaning it was done to gauge voter opinion on the issue.

“Martindale rewrote the ordinance; it was not what was on the ballot that the people voted on,” Mulligan said. “I did vote for it but wouldn’t have if I had an indication that it had been changed. I should have read it more carefully, but it was presented as the ordinance the people originally voted on.”

Mulligan said Martindale added illegal weapons to his version as well as taking out provisions to legally carry arms.

He said the original measure voted on by the public showed support for concealed carry but by legal means. Mulligan said that he plans to reintroduce the measure at the next County Board meeting on Thursday and change the vote that he cast in support of Martindale’s version.